Book Review #6: ‘Throne of Glass’

Name: Throne of Glass
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Genre: Fantasy
Publisher: Bloomsbury

Synopsis

After serving out a year of hard labor in the salt mines of Endovier for her crimes, 18-year-old assassin Celaena Sardothien is dragged before the Crown Prince. Prince Dorian offers her her freedom on one condition: she must act as his champion in a competition to find a new royal assassin.

My Review

Throne of Glass follows the journey of Celaena Sardothien, a deadly assassin who is granted a hope for freedom in exchange for her services to the King of Adarlan. Once known as Adarlan’s Assassin and The Queen of Underworld, Celaena has to fight the kingdom’s deadliest criminals in a tournament to gain the King’s Champion title and later claim her freedom. Throne of Glass is full of action, humour, intrigue, and romance – all of which are required to enrapture the readers.

The novel, however, lacks the background information needed to accommodate the readers to the characters. But, Maas covers it up with her subtle writing techniques and a good storyline. A wide array of characters are introduced – Dorian Havilliard, Chaol Westfall, Nehemia Ytger, Nox, Cain, Kaltain Romper, Duke Perrington, and the King of Adarlan. The novel also touches the soft side of the deadliest assassin when Celaena’s pasts are slowly uncovered. The suspense trails along and keeps up wanting to know more.

Celaena’s experiences are uncovered, and these give us the details of her demeanour. She is dangerous yet vulnerable, independent, yet seeking for love and affection. Her heroic nature makes her brave and doubtful of those near her. On the other hand, Dorian is shown to be a ladies’ man, with a hidden potential to become a great ruler someday. Chaol acts as his foil. He is a stoic and loyal man, who is wary of the young assassin. Nehemia proves to be a mysterious character, seemingly innocent at first but coming off as a clever and smart woman at the end. Although the love triangle trope is a bit stereotypical, the budding friendship of Celaena and Nehemia has a pleasing undercurrent.

All in all, I would recommend Throne of Glass to anyone who loves epic fantasy. The book is gripping and full of suspense that will lead you to explore the entire series.

We all bear scars,… Mine just happen to be more visible than most.

Sarah J. Maas. Throne of Glass

My Rating

★★★☆☆